A click from behind called my attention back to where I entered. Wide eyed while my heart pounded, I waited… Weaponless with an injured leg, there wasn’t much of a fight left in me. I had to hide, but I couldn’t leave the room. Quickly, I searched the lit conference room, bare except for a large table, several pushed out chairs and screen. Once more, my eyes found that daunting word; FATHER.

Slam.

They were inside; there was no doubt. I remembered the security room, it’s camera revealed my every move. With speed, I picked up the first chair I could grab and located the recording device. I waited for it to crash, before heading toward the side door. Karen took me out this exit before. I cracked it, only to retrace my steps and dive under the huge table. If I was quick enough, whoever opened the door would believe I left.   

Four thick Redwood table legs arched underneath the table top with a small platform between them. The distance between the pairs was enough to support my body from the floor. I took advantage.  Like a cat, I raised my arms and brought my feet up seconds before I heard their heavy footfalls. Quietly, I laid my head against the thick wood, allowed it to collect my sweat and suffocate my labored breaths. Please find the door, please, I prayed.

There were many, far too many to escape, all of them stormed in the room like a hurricane. Their steps, deliberate and precise, circled the space in heavy laced up combat boots.  Immediately, a few took my bait and exited the room instantly, however a good few stayed behind. With heavy concentration, I counted the boots that now surrounded the table. One, two, three, four, five,…

“Looks clear, Sgt.” Suddenly, a voice echoed from the head of the table, closest to the drop down screen.

“Clear...over here, too.” This voice came from far behind me, before two more guys called it clear. Silence took over, spread through the room like a plague and I feared my breathing would betray me.

“Are those the civilians we’re looking for?” This voice was deep, and husky. I pictured a mountain man twice my size, with a long full broad upon his angry face.

“I’d screw her,” voiced another, this one crisper and higher pitch. I could take him, I thought.   Another quickly joined before footsteps inched closer to the table.

“Don’t stare too long, boys, the girl’s different. Supposedly, the blonde died before the cove got to her. In her place, they took the friend. Black girl, between 5’7 and 5’9, roughly around 160-175lbs, small waist, big ass…” Disgust morphed my face, and I bit down the foul insults across my tongue.

“Isn’t she traveling with that guy, and what does it mean that he’s a carrier?” Someone asked to my left.

“I don’t know, and frankly, I don’t care. They sent us to pick up these three and that doctor, and that’s what we’re going to do. The girl’s here, I’m guessing the guy, too…” This was from the first voice.

“What about the president’s son, LT.?” asked the guy to my left.

This created a pause amongst the men as they discovered the papers. I flinched as someone dropped a gun on the table.

Finally, a new voice answered, heavy footfalls signaled his path as he marched around the table. “They never found him, but I know who’ll lead us right to him.”

“I’ll kill that fucking sneaky son of a bitch. He’s probably helping the rebels, have the Rogue right under our noses,” snarled the guy to my left.

“When the time comes, and our path crosses, kill him, keep the other. Now find the girl!” Their leader commanded, his voice determined. Quickly, the squad divided, exited the room through two doors, and my body gave out.

With a loud thump, I collapsed to the floor. My arms and legs shook with exhaustion as my head tried to wrap around their words. The government was after us, but not Michael. He wasn’t the presidents’ son like I thought, so who was he? Why would they want him dead?

Quickly, I crawled from under the table, determined to distance myself from the military squad. One look, I saw what brought the guys to the table. Paperwork littered the surface, maps imprinted upon the papers, red ink scribble across the lines. Names identified the places, their city and state underneath. Most had their known population listed at the bottom. What the hell were they searching for?

With quick fingers, I snatched up most of the copies and stuffed into the chest of the bulletproof vest just as a voice came through the door I opened.  “We’ll need the chip, that’s our only evidence without…” I recognized the voice, but it was the second one that sent me into motion.

“You only have two minutes before we leave.”

“Michael,” I called and his eyes found me. At first, he stood stunned; almost confused that I was there, but then he moved.

“Celeste, are you okay? What happened to you?” He approached fast, stormed around the grand table and reached me within seconds. “Are you …okay?” He looked down to my stomach before his eyes came back to me.

“Yes. I woke up and you all were gone. I found footprints. When I followed them out, the wall collapsed and Zs started coming, but those men...” I moved closer, afraid of exposing more than necessary. “They’re from the government. I heard them talking, about you and the president?”

He took in my confusion and looked away toward the doctor. “Hurry up, Marab.” I took this time to see everyone else had entered the room, including Violet, held on Jasper’s back.

“Violet,” I called to her, and instantly she leaped from his back and ran to me. Tiny arms wrapped around my waist like a life line, and I knew she would refuse to let go.

“I thought…I thought you were dead,” she stuttered.

“I’m okay, and so are you.” I turned away from her face and peered up into Michael’s gaze. “You’re not safe anymore.” I emphasized the danger in my voice and with one nod, Michael understood. He spun around and approached the doctor.

“We need to leave, now, with or without the information,” Michael declared.,

“I…this isn’t right,” Dr. Marab stuttered, drew everyone’s attention to the screen.

“What the hell is that?” Jasper spoke, his attention on the diagram displayed. It was the same image I discovered. He looked at me after his eyes took in the smiling face of his former girlfriend. “Karen had this all planned before the war. She knew about the virus, she knew about all of this?” Suddenly, murderous eyes went to the doctor. “You fucking knew about this...,”and Jasper moved so quickly. Within seconds, he reached Dr. Marab and flipped him down on the tabletop. His right hand sought out his neck and squeezed. “You killed her, you fucking killed everyone by spreading this shit,” and he cried.

Michael sprang into action, Sage and Miriam followed closely. While three fighters pulled at his arms, Jasper kept his hand in place, death on his mind.      

“Jasper let him go. Think about this man. He’s the only one who knows how to get in touch with the UN. He’s the only one who knows how to spread the word. If everything is true, especially about a cure, we need him.” Michael spoke, but to no avail. Dr. Marab no longer fought, his body, now limp and blue. “Goddamn it, Jasper, we had a plan. If you kill him, you will kill her. Think about Celeste!” he said harshly and those words hit him like cold water. Jasper’s body stiffened before he pushed away. His striking hazel eyes caught me in his gaze before he cracked; a wall became his victim.

Jasper left two giant holes in the concrete wall, yet he wasn’t finished or hurt. While Sage assisted Dr. Marab with recovery, Miriam worked on the keypad and another monitor, Michael stood on guard, his eyes focused on Jasper, his trigger finger on his handgun.

Everyone was on edge, including myself. Only minutes before, armed military left this room, which meant they weren’t far away. Not to mention, the haven was swarming with the undead. We didn’t have time for this. “Michael…” I called out, but Miriam’s voice echoed over me.

“Michael!” Immediately, we all turned as she pointed to the drop down screen. “You might want to check this out. “ She pulled up a big screen image of the maps that I grabbed from the table. They were in the style of the image I was shone of the new capitol; colored marks highlighted areas, while population numbers were listed by the names of the city. “I think they are looking for him.” I looked from Miriam to Michael and back again. She typed in a code and a small community popped up. “About six months ago, our radios frequencies synced with this colony, and we heard their distress call. The next day, we found out that they heard us as well. Karen sent out Norris’ men out, but they said everything was settled.”

Miriam’s eyes went to Sage, who stood beside Dr. Marab, his gun ready to defend. “We searched over fifty colonies near the crash, any place close enough for him to run. We came up with empty.” 

“What the hell is going on? Who are you looking for?” I piped in. Miriam rejected my request, while Sage just looked at Michael; he stared at the diagram. “They used you, too. You’re the father,” I spoke, too quiet for the others to hear, but loud enough to reach him.  

“I’m not the father, Celeste.” Finally, the man spoke.

“You are. Your face was above the words.”

“I’m not the father…”he insisted, but I lost it.

“Don’t lie to me, stop!”…and he did. He stopped everything and looked at me, approached.

“Before we get ourselves killed, Celeste, that…is… not…me. That’s not me when I was younger. That’s me a couple of years ago. I was never apart of Karen sick plan. I was never thought of. Pull up the fucking photo!” His voice thundered through the room. Fingers under my chin, he directed me back toward the monitor. “My eyes are blue, he’s are brown; my hair is light, he’s are dark. That’s not me, that is the president’s son.”

“You are the president’s son,” I uttered, disbelief written across my face. Ironically, he smiled.

“I don’t matter, never had. He’s the only one people see. Henri’s the only one that people know.”

“So he’s the father?” my voice unrecognizable.

“I don’t know. Six months ago, the plane Henri was on was shot down.” Speechless, Michael didn’t move an inch; Sage stepped up with the information.  

“By who?” Jasper instantly interjected, and Michael looked guilty.

“By me. His plane was being tracked by rebel groups. News reached us quickly and the White House took action. I wasn’t called to do the job, but word gets around quickly.” Slowly, Michael’s façade morphed into something darker, dangerous. “So I left ‘Paradise,’ created a small malfunction so the pilot would have to land immediately, safely.”

“What happened?” this time Dr. Marab spoke, concern laced in his voice.

“They landed in an open field,” he moved away from me and marched straight to the monitor and pointed to the east of a red circle. ”but were quickly ambushed by a group of Zs. I fought to get to Henri in time, however when I reached him, he ran away.”

“Did he recognize you?” asked Miriam.

“Yes, looked straight at me, but he ran like I was his enemy. He ran right into the heart of a Z cluster. I fought to catch up to him, but the group was too big, more came from each direction.” I followed him to a small town, before I was hurt and had to retreat. I didn’t want to lead the Zs to him.” Up until now, Michael spoke facts; let no feelings seep through his words; however the pain was in his eyes.  The hurt raw, and yet his mind kept hope.

“That was around time we received the transmission from that colony?” Sage addressed the group. A swollen finger, covered in dried blood, pointed at the red circle. Sage looked up at Michael with expectation. “It’s not far, half a day’s drive with a good vehicle.”

Everyone stood quiet; a plan hatched through the silence and reached Michael, Miriam, Sage, and Dr. Marab. Quickly, one person picked up a map, then the other, and next thing you know everyone is looking at paperwork. I watched as they search for something, before Miriam pulled out the map she carried from Michael’s room. Everyone gathered around as they cross-referenced each other’s story “There, that’s where they went,” she voiced.

“Less than two miles from the crash site,” Jasper said with a keen eye.

“Jasper,” I whispered, scared that he would see light from this battle, and a part of me couldn’t blame him. On one hand, we were free now, we could be free; on the other, there could be a cure and I was a key player.

Bruised and battered, Jasper looked at me, questioned me. What do we do? Which plan do we choose? “We have to think about our safety,” the words slipped, but I stood up straighter, held Violet tighter, so that he understood my fear.

“But…what if we are everything people planned?”

“I know,” I whispered, but my moment was stolen.

BANG!

The entire room rocked from the explosion. Violet screamed as I immediately brought her down to the ground, while footsteps scattered around us. Walls shook, and monitors fell from their axes. Another explosion sound above us and cement rained from the ceiling.

“Celeste? We have to leave now.” Dr. Marab was the first to reach me and his intentions were direct. He pulled me back to my feet in the midst of  smoke and debris. “There are no barriers now. They’ll come and kill us all.” Evenly, he spoke; his grip around my arm signaled the importance behind his words.

“I’m not leaving without them,” I spoke and ran to Jasper. Quickly, everyone recovered. Sage and Miriam ran towards the third door, one that no one used today. Jasper checked his weapon, and then sent me a nod.

“As much as I would like to be free, everything’s different now. There’s a way out for us both, a way to reverse this. I can’t risk it in.”

“Okay,” I nodded, understood the plan and accepted. “Okay.”

Once more, Violet was thrown onto Jasper’s back as the first screamed echoed through the collapsed door. Within seconds, Zs would come. I followed Jasper.

 “…you said the UN wants something valuable then protect her. What’s inside her is worth more than any of us. Get her the fuck out of here, now!” I heard the command before I passed the person. Michael had stopped Dr. Marab at the short staircase which led toward our only way out. He had a death grip on the man’s destroyed lab coat as he towered over him.

“No!” I screamed and ripped his fist away from the doctor.  “Come with us…Michael, you have to. We found your brother. He’s the one you’ve been searching for this whole time.” Suddenly, I was gripped up by Dr. Marab and urged to climb the stairs.  “Let go of me, you bastard.”

“Go,” Michael stressed as the stench of death spread across the room. There was no time for this. The Zs were here. He was out of his mind.

 “No!” I clawed out and grabbed his vest.

“Doc…” he cursed. “Go where we discussed. Everything is ready. As soon as you get her in, take off down the hill and go where the map showed!”

Marab pulled harder, but I put up a fight. I managed to slap the guy and stun him. It was enough time for me to slip of his grasp and ran to Michael. However, I saw the first one.

Right at the threshold, a slender body emerged from the dark hall, dark ooze smeared over his rotten flesh, as piercing yellow eyes found us. My response was automatic. My hand reached up and fingers curled around Michael’s handgun. I drew it from his belt, and instantly unclicked the safety. One second aim, and the fucker was dead, but there was only a moment’s relief.

“You’ll die if I leave you,” I spoke to Michael. My eyes pleaded for him to reason.

Those ice blue eyes, which made me melt in ways and freeze me in others, now held nothing but worry. “I can’t, they’ll follow and stop us before you guys will have a chance,” he said and I knew the Zs weren’t who he spoke of.

“They won’t find us, I’m good at hiding, remember?” I tried at a joke, but Michael didn’t take the bait.

“I can save you both. I can save everyone if I stay behind and stop them from tracking you.”

I exploded. “You are not superman, you’re human!” I remembered their words and shuttered. “They’ll kill you and if not, they’ll leave you to become a Z. We can find Henri…we can find him and the UN will help us all, together… please,” I begged, but he never budged.

“Fucking, doctor, take her!” He yelled over me, and before I lashed out, there was a prick at my neck; it pushed all my thoughts of battle away. I looked at my offender and those blue eyes softened. “I’m sorry, Celeste, for everything. It’s my fault that I didn’t listen to you in the woods months ago or stole you away when we first arrived, but you’ll be safe now.” With that, gentle lips came down on my forehead before my eyes lids grew heavy.  Strong arms whisked me up, and the smell of Michael became imprinted in my mind as he passed me over. I tried to say no, shook my head in objection, but everything became harder.  “I’ll cover you both, until you pass through the door. Then run.”

“Of course, thank you,” Dr. Marab spoke, his gripped tightened around limp arms and legs.

“Save her and then you’ll have my gratitude,” was Michael’s last words, before a round of gunshots brought us into motion.

Feet moved quickly underneath me, as I swayed in the arms of Dr. Marab. Even though he looked less in shape, he kept a firm grip on me as we passed many doors and through dark hallways. With each step, the doctor took precise and cautious decisions, decided to take back door hallways rather than the easy accessible route. As my body raced along the secret passageways of the cove, the darkness ate at my mental walls and the light began to extinguish.

***

“Stop the car…please…stop the car!”

I heard the yell, even from the back seat of the Caravan that Dr. Marab piled me into. Waiting, Sage and Miriam had the gas running, with violet crotched on the floor of the passenger seat; there was no Jasper.  

“Pop the trunk…do it now!” The voice was closer; desperation carried the words faster than the mountain’s wind.

Commotion filled the car. Frantically, Dr. Marab repeated the call, as Miriam urged Sage to keep driving. The man cursed and shouted back, before he put his foot on the brakes. The car screamed in protest as it skidded on frozen leaves. Suddenly, the latch was pulled and the door hissed open.

Shots rained out the window from two different devices, but the needle had left me paralyzed. An immense weight brought the car down. “Go, go, go…” With him only a few feet behind me, I knew it anywhere, Jasper.  “Faster!” he yelled through harsh breaths. “He set off bombs, floor it!” And silence fell over the car like a thick blanket. He...Michael.

“Oh…my…god, drive!” Miriam screamed before windows exploded and a great force sent the van projecting. This time when my body flew, there wasn’t a seat to catch me, but the roof. The vehicle flew through the scenery, followed by trees, wood, even the cabin that masked Haven’s Cove. Michael’s bomb didn’t just stop one threat; it brought down the whole mountain side.